The Golden Crystal
by DreamingXxx
Summary: During the summer of their sixth year, the trio discover a secret hidden from their since their first year - the Heirs of the Founders. As Voldemort ascends into power, Harry will have to rely on the founders to help him when the time comes, but there's one problem: one of them is his enemy since his first day at Hogwarts.
1. Prologue

**It's been a while since I've been on this website, but recently I found a bit of inspiration and I've decided to upload a new story. I know this might sound like a clichéd idea, but I've tried to do things a little differently and I would love to know what you all think.**

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**PROLOGUE **

Draco bit his lip as he listened to his aunt's ranting about how amazing the Dark Lord is and desperately tried to keep his restraint on his emotions. He wanted to scream at her that she was wrong – that she was deranged and needed mental help. He couldn't do any of that – if he did she would know. And then the Dark Lord would know and kill him.

Death would be rather welcoming, though. At least with his death came the death of his responsibilities. And his responsibilities were piling up right now. He didn't ask for it – he didn't ask for any of it. But he got it… and he promised he would help the others. Despite all of his arrogance and difficult personality, Draco was one to keep to his word, and he would do so. Besides, he was in way too deep now to back out, and it wasn't like he had a choice to in the first place.

"And so I've arranged for you to receive the dark mark." She finished.

Wait, what?

"Excuse me?" Draco blinked. He was only sixteen years old… Voldemort didn't take members that young, did he?

"Yes, it will take place in Borgin and Burkes-" Draco stopped listening. He felt sick. He could not, in anyway take the Dark Mark. Voldemort would know where he was – he would use it to track him down and then he would find the others. Then all would be ruined. Voldemort would've found his biggest rivals – well, apart from Saint Potter that was.

"… this would make up for the shame your father cast on the Malfoy family. You will have to succeed in whatever mission the Dark Lord gives you – understand Draco?" Bellatrix finally finished.

"Yes, Aunt Bella. Now, I'm sorry but I'm incredibly tired and it seems that I've an incredibly busy schedule for the rest of summer, so if you'll excuse me." Draco quickly escaped the sitting room where he had been sat with his aunt and briskly walked to find his mother. Narcissa always seemed to know what the right thing to do was, and she would hopefully help him out of this complex situation. If he refused to take the Dark Mark, Voldemort would be offended. If he took it, he would create deep trouble for his mission… and his friends.

He found his mother in the upstairs sitting room talking to Mrs Parkinson. He awkwardly entered and both women's attention shifted to him.

"Hello, Draco, how are you?" Mrs Parkinson politely greeted him.

"I'm very well, Mrs Parkinson, how are you?" Draco stiffly replied, remembering his 'pure-blooded-manners'.

"I'm good. Your mother and I were just discussing designs for Pansy and yours' wedding."

Draco suppressed a groan. He forgot about the betrothal. His mother threw him an apologetic glance as he gave Mrs Parkinson a well-practised smile.

"If you excuse me, Mrs Parkinson, I need to discuss some important matters with my mother…" Draco started and Mrs Parkinson immediately stood up.

"Of course, I was just about to leave. I'll be over again sometime this week, Narcissa." Mrs Parkinson approached the fireplace.

"You're welcome any time, Julia." Narcissa stood up and watched as Julia Parkinson flooed away. Her fake smile immediately vanished as she turned to face her son. "I'm sorry, Draco – but you know we have to keep up appearances." She told him regretfully.

"I know, I know… as long as I don't actually have to marry the girl…" Draco muttered, "But I have something more… urgent we need to discuss. Your dear sister has arranged for me to receive the Dark Mark."

Narcissa visibly paled and sat back down. This… This was something she hadn't expected. Bellatrix was… extreme, but she wouldn't do something this bad, would she? She looked at her son with fear-filled eyes and asked him, "When?"

"In two weeks' time." Draco sat down where Mrs Parkinson had been sat minutes earlier. The seat was still warm.

"We'll have to inform the Order. They'll know what to do." Narcissa stood up, "I'll send an owl to Andormeda."

She started to walk out of the room, but just as she was about to do so, she stopped to look at her son, "I'm proud of you, Draco. I know the situation isn't ideal, and you'd much rather stay out of everything… But you're sticking to your duty, and I'm proud of you for that."

Draco gave her a small smile before she turned and walked out of the room on a mission. Once she was out of range, Draco sank down into his seat and covered his face with his hands. This was too much pressure for a sixteen year old boy, he thought. He should be outside, enjoying the summer with Theo and Blaise – teasing Theo about his infatuation with Daphne Greengrass… maybe get a girlfriend before he had to settle down with the infamous Pug-faced Pansy who he seemed to be stuck with since birth. He didn't hate Pansy… only he had no romantic feelings towards her at all. She was clingy and needy – something he didn't need in his life. He ran his hands through his hair and got up, walked to his room, all the while hoping that it all was a nightmare he could wake up from.

But no, he had to be bloody chosen to be an heir since birth. The tattoo on his left shoulder was there to prove it – an eagle. Rowena Ravenclaw had chosen the Malfoy boy as her heir.


	2. Seeking Asylum

**Thank you everyone who has supported this story so far. Just a warning, updates might be slow and rather short, as I'm very busy lately, but I will try and find the time to update weekly if I can.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I am not JK Rowling therefore I am not the owner of Harry Potter**

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**Chapter 1: Seeking Asylum**

A few hours later Draco found himself jostled from a peaceful slumber by none other than his mother. He blinked into consciousness and frowned at his mother who had a frantic look in her usually calm blue eyes.

"Mum, what are you doing?" he mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Draco, I've packed everything for you, Andromeda will be here in ten minutes to get you. Hurry up and get dressed!" Narcissa hissed to him. Draco sat up straight, looking at his mother with confusion, the unspoken question in his eyes:_ what? _

Narcissa sighed. "I haven't got much time. Andromeda will take you, and make it look like you've been captured by the Order. This way you won't have to get the Dark Mark… and you won't have to face Voldemort."

"What?" Draco slowly got out of bed, eyeing his mother suspiciously.

"The Dark Lord has decided to make this place his residency until further notice." Narcissa said in a small voice, not looking her son in the eyes.

Draco's eyes widened with fear, "What?! Mother, you'll have to come with me!" he said, desperately grabbing his mother's hand.

"I can't, they'll know of our disloyalty. It's safer this way, trust me Draco." She freed her hands from his grip, "Now get dressed."

Draco hesitated, but nodded. He knew fighting with his mother was useless – and he could think of no better option right now. He quickly got dressed into his muggle clothing, knowing that his aunt lived in a muggle area due to her husband. He grabbed the bags his mother had packed for him and followed her to the drawing room. Not two minutes after they entered the room, the Floo flashed green and an aunt Draco had only met once before was in front of him.

"Cissy!" Andromeda hugged her sister.

"Andy!" Narcissa hugged her sister back, "Thank you so much for doing this."

"It's absolutely no problem." Andromeda pulled away from the hug, "Anything to help." She flashed Draco a smile; the boy threw a weak one back. This was happening too fast for him, and he didn't want to leave his mother alone.

Once she was free, Narcissa rushed forward to embrace her son. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too, mother." Draco said, trying to keep the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes at bay. He knew from the sobs he heard coming from his mother she wasn't so successful. "I promise to write to you whenever I can."

"You better keep that promise." Narcissa said, stepping away from him, drying her eyes with her handkerchief.

"You know I always keep my promises, mother." Draco said, his voice thick.

"I love you." Narcissa said steadily.

"I love you too, mother." Draco said, and with that he stepped into the fireplace with his aunt, his bags heavy in his hand as his aunt said an address he didn't really hear.

The next thing he was aware of was silence. He stepped out of the fireplace with his aunt and looked around the room. It was obviously a muggle house, judging from the load of appliances Draco didn't recognise and the pictures that didn't move. It was tidy, and relatively small, but Draco appreciated how homely it was.

"Right, Draco. You'll only be staying here for a few nights, and then you'll be moved to Grimmauld Place." Andromeda informed him. Draco nodded. He had a feeling he'd be visiting the Order's headquarters; after all, by the morning he would be on the front page of every wizarding newspaper. He was an heir to a pretty hefty fortune and 'missing' - that was a big deal. And he knew his aunt wouldn't let him simply disappear, neither would Voldemort.

"You know, Bella was always slightly… well, manic – but this is bordering on insanity. That woman always did worship ideology to the extreme." Andromeda sighed.

"Thank you for this Andromeda, you didn't have to do this." Draco said gratefully.

"It's the least I could do." Andromeda said. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

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Draco stayed with the Tonks family for two nights. He had never really spoken to a muggle-born before (unless you called ridiculing and humiliating them 'speaking'), but his uncle seemed like an alright person. Draco regretted that his façade that he had to pull off made him avoid speaking to muggle-borns before; he might've made some good friends. Draco was fascinated by muggle technology, specifically the television. He spent most of his time, sat perched on the sofa, watching it with fascination. Andromeda and Ted had mutually agreed not to introduce him to the internet.

Andromeda was sad when she received an owl from Nymphadora saying she would pick up Draco later that third day to take him to Grimmauld. She had only started to get to know her nephew, and had to admit that Narcissa and Lucius did a good job raising him. Despite being slightly spoilt, he was a good natured boy and kept to his word, writing constantly to his mother, and helped around the house, eager to learn how to do things the muggle way. He was also thankful and gracious and incredibly intelligent – they could see how he could be Ravenclaw's heir.

Andromeda told Draco that he would be departing soon and he immediately went to pack his things. Draco knew he had to go - he knew his duty. Besides, his staying here only endangered his aunt and uncle. Grimmauld Place was better protected, and constantly full of aurors and other Order members.

He had only just finished packing when he heard someone enter the house and then a girl's voice shouting, "Mum! Dad! I'm here."

His cousin, Nymphadora Tonks. Draco took a deep breath before picking up his bags, pocketing his wand and descended the stairs.

"There ya are, Malfoy! Ready to go?" Tonks asked her cousin brightly. Her hair reflected her tone of voice, a bubble-gum pink. Draco remembered his aunt telling him she was a metamorphagus, and he had to admit, he was impressed. He had never met a metamorphagus before, but he found them fascinating.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Draco shrugged.

"Good. We'll be apparating – so if you could hold on to my arm…"

Draco hated side-apparating, but he supposed it was the easiest option, so he grabbed onto his cousin's arm and quickly bid his aunt and uncle goodbye before he was taken away to another destination. All the moving he did recently was annoyingly necessary, and he knew it would get worse as the war neared. Draco blanched at that thought – he wasn't particularly fond of confrontation, he tried to avoid it as well as he could. He preferred to use words rather than his fists, always had. He didn't mind petty name-calling – some would say he lived for it in school, but he rarely ever enjoyed using violence (unless it was to prove himself better someone, of course).

Draco stumbled as he and his cousin arrived at Grimmauld Place – a momentary lapse of grace. As he recovered, Tonks uttered the password before the street widened, and number twelve appeared.

"Just a warning… the Weasley children aren't aware, nor Hermione and Harry… so don't expect a warm welcome when they come." Tonks murmured as they walked towards the front door.

Draco grimaced, "Great."

"Yeah, well… you being undercover hasn't been helpful… you know they'll take time to trust you, especially Ron." Tonks told him. She felt sorry for her cousin – she knew he had to deal with a lot with a great weight on his shoulders and that his undercover persona loosened his credibility. She really wanted to help him – but there was only so much she could do.

"Yeah, I know… it's understandable really. I'd be the same if I were in their position." Draco sighed. Tonks smiled, this Draco was obviously a different Draco to who Harry and his friends knew. This was Draco, her cousin – not Draco the Slytherin.

They entered the house and didn't even have time to breathe before Molly Weasley was instantly on their case in her usual fussing manner.

"Oh thank goodness you got here alright!" she said in a hushed voice and engulfed Draco in a hug. Frozen, Draco stood still as the woman unexpectedly greeted him, "The others will be here in a few days, Draco. We've decided to move everyone here for the time being because of all the protective charms."

"O-Ok." Draco choked out as the woman let go of him.

"Come! There's much to discuss! Off to the dining room!" she ushered them inside to the dining room and Draco instantly found himself in front of a bunch of aurors and wizards known to be associated with Dumbledore, and instantly wanted the ground to swallow him as they watched and scrutinised him. But Draco mentally heaved a large sigh of relief when he spotted his godfather amongst them – he didn't feel as alone.

"What's Malfoy doing here?" a man not much older than Draco inquired. Draco knew instantly he was one of the Weasley brothers just by looking at him.

"That's why we're all here today. The founders' heirs are in danger." Professor McGonagall spoke up. Draco hadn't originally noticed her.

The room immediately erupted into murmurs. It appeared not all of the Order members were clued in on the latest news. Tonks led her cousin to the table and they both took the two empty seats left, Draco finding himself sat between who he guessed to be Bill Weasley – the one who spoke earlier, and his old professor, Remus Lupin.

"It seems that Voldemort wants to enlist Draco after our idiotic aunt suggested it to him." Tonks muttered, "And we all know the Dark Mark would endanger the other founders as well as us, so we've arranged for it to look like Draco's been captured by the Order – of course by now the news is all over the Daily Prophet."

"And now the Dark Lord will stop at nothing to find him. He called a meeting just earlier today demanding for Draco to be found. It appears he has a very… important mission for him." Snape said, "He thinks of it as an opportunity to punish Lucius."

"Like Azkaban isn't enough." Draco muttered, looking down at the table, playing with his hands. Everyone at the table was silent after that, not sure what to say. Lucius was just acting undercover for them, just like Snape was – he defected once he found out the Dark Lord could be a danger to his son… but of course, not everyone could know that. They couldn't tell everything to the Ministry as they were in danger of being infiltrated by Voldemort, and so Lucius Malfoy was stuck in Azkaban.

"What should we do… should we keep all of the heirs here until further notice?" Lupin asked, changing the subject, wanting to distract the boy on his right.

"I suppose it would be one of the safest options. Even if Bellatrix thinks of this as her rightful property, she wouldn't be able to find it nor get in. Sirius would've wanted this house to be put into good use, and what better use than to protect people who are incredibly important?" Arthur Weasley spoke. Everyone seemed to nod in agreement. Draco sunk in his chair. The mentions of his mother's cousin's death making him feel ill. As if his family wasn't insane enough they had to go and murder each other.

"What about school? They need to be educated!" Molly Weasley asked, looking over at McGonagall.

"That's matter we'll have to discuss with Albus when he's back from his… trip." McGonagall said weakly, exchanging looks with Snape. Although many missed the exchange, Draco didn't, and he looked inquisitively at his godfather who kept his face stoic as usual.

"Should the children be in the know…? We all know the war will be reaching its peak soon, and Harry should at least be informed of the heirs..?" Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke out.

"I agree, they should be informed." Mad-Eye Moody said in his gruff voice.

"What do you think, Draco?" Molly asked.

"They should know." Draco sat up, "Although, I doubt they'll be happy about me."

"Yeah, well, they'll have to deal." Tonks said, "If we don't work together we'll never win this damned war so they'll have to at least be civil."

"So… how do we break it to them?" Lupin asked, and he was met with only silence.


	3. The Trio and Mascot

**Sorry, this took longer than I thought it would due to my internet not working after a storm.**

**Thank you everyone who's read this, I appreciate it - please let me know what you think by reviewing, it would mean a lot to me :)**

**I'm not JK Rowling, unfortunately, meaning I don't own Harry Potter. **

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**Chapter 2: The Trio and Mascot**

Draco was bored. He sat in the room he was appointed, cross-legged on the bed staring at the wall – noting every crack and damp patch. It had been five hours since he arrived and most of the Order had left. Only Lupin, Tonks and the two eldest Weasley brothers remained - Molly and Arthur had gone home – they were returning later on with the Golden Trio and their mascot, the Weaslette. Although most of Draco's attitude was over-exaggerated during school as he didn't want the Death Eaters' children to be suspicious of him, his hatred of the Gryffindors was something he actually felt. They were stupid for searching out fights and their reckless behaviour pissed him off, as well as the fact they thought they ruled the school (and that went for every single Gryffindor he knew, spare one).

He had just received a letter from his mother telling him that the Dark Lord was starting to lose interest in him and was planning to give the mission that was meant for him to Theodore Nott. Draco didn't even want to know what it was; he just thanked the stars he would be kept out of it all. He worried for her though, his mother. She wasn't as strong as he and his father, she was breakable. He just wished Bella would have some sympathy for her sister of all people and leave her alone – although Voldemort was the real issue.

Sighing, he got up to his feet and decided to look around the house. He took care to be quiet, his cousin had informed him of the portrait of their great aunt – he didn't fancy being called a blood traitor today. He made his way through the dusty house until he reached a room that picked his interest. Inside was a giant tapestry of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black – he recognised the family motto 'Toujours Pure' – it made him sick. Having 'pure blood' had nothing to do with being a good wizard, he'd seen evidence of that first hand. He saw his name, as well as his cousins (although burnt). Unsurprisingly, the Weasley family were distant relatives to him – he knew most pure-blooded wizards were related after eons of inter-breeding. He had to admit, he found it all fascinating. His father always taught him about the Malfoy family history, but his mother rarely talked about her side of the family – the Blacks. It must be because of the… entire… well, the complications. Despite being a prideful line, the Blacks were notorious for their brutality and, some would say, insanity.

Draco felt someone enter the room.

"Hard to believe we're related, eh, Malfoy?" Charlie Weasley spoke.

"Hard enough to imagine that you're pure blooded, let alone that we're related, Weasley." Draco rolled his eyes at the red-head, instantly retreating back to his act – his safe place, almost.

Charlie shrugged, "It's distant enough for no one to care."

"True. So when is your family of red-headed lunatics arriving?" Draco questioned, feeling slightly more relaxed.

Charlie ignored the insult, "In about half an hour. Mum wants to be here in time to cook dinner. We received an Owl from Dumbledore; the others will be arriving tomorrow. Dumbledore arrived from his trip early, therefore is able to escort them."

Draco didn't manage to conceal his happiness – he hadn't seen the other three properly since last summer. They were the only real friends he had, seeing as they were the only ones able to relate to everything he'd been through, and he missed them tremendously during the school-year when they're unable to act on their friendship.

Charlie left then, needing to be downstairs to let in his family when they arrived. Draco decided to check out the Black library. Of course, it was full of Dark books, but he managed to find a few good reads amongst them. He took one with him to his room, figuring there was nothing else for him to do – besides, he was Ravenclaw's heir… which meant that he found joy in doing anything that involved extending his knowledge.

He was diligently reading when his head snapped up upon hearing the door slam open. The next thing Draco was aware of was the fact Ron Weasley had him pinned against a wall.

"Ron! Let him go!" Draco heard Hermione Granger shout. Weasley didn't give her any attention as he glared at Draco.

"You better not be an undercover Death Eater or I swear, Malfoy – I will kill you in the most painful way possible." He hissed.

"Why would I be an undercover agent for someone I hate even more than you, Weasley?!" Draco spat. Ron blinked at this, and loosened his grip at the surprise. Draco took the opportunity and freed himself, pushing Ron backwards. Draco eyed the new occupants of his room with contempt as he regained his breath – damn them for ruining his peace.

Hermione took the chance to speak up. "So you're really the heir of Slytherin?"

Draco snorted – of course they would go for the obvioius, "No… I'm Ravenclaw's heir." He looked up at all the occupants of the room, noting their surprise, and smirked.

"Yeah… right…" Ginny Weasley rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I am. I have the tattoo on my shoulder to prove it." Draco muttered, picking up the book he had been reading off the floor and frowning, trying to find the page he was on, inwardly cursing the trio and their mascot.

"Then who the hell is Slytherin's heir?!" Saint Potter looked confused, and Draco realised this gave him great pleasure.

"You wouldn't know her." Draco shrugged.

"_Her?!_" They all grasped at this new information. Draco nearly laughed at their eagerness, but he kept up his demeanour and instead rolled his eyes.

"She doesn't go to Hogwarts, and her name is Ellora Ruburn."

Draco had to admit; out of all the heirs he missed her the most, mostly because she didn't go to Hogwarts, so he couldn't even exchange secret smiles with her in the corridors. He saw all of the others every day in school, and sometimes even managed to speak to them – but all he could do with Ellora was Owl her, but he couldn't do that really, without arousing suspicion.

"So what about the other heirs? Who are they?" Ginny asked. Draco knew what they all meant – who was Gryffindor's heir?

"You all know them." Draco smirked, "Actually, I believe you're friends with Hufflepuff's… Luna Lovegood."

There were gasps around the room.

"No way…" Ron breathed out.

"B-But she's in Ravenclaw." Hermione frowned.

"And I'm in Slytherin." Draco shrugged.

"I can't believe she kept that from me." Ginny muttered.

"We weren't allowed to tell anyone… at all." Draco shrugged.

"So… c'mon, whose Gryffindor's heir?" Harry asked.

Draco really looked forward to see their reaction to this, he knew they wouldn't believe him.

"You'll never believe me if I tell you." Draco smirked, sitting on his bed. They all looked at him expectantly and he told them, "Neville Longbottom."

They all stared at him in silence.

"Are you sure?" Hermione broke the silence, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I've known them all since I was one… I think I know who they are." Draco said snidely.

"No… It can't be Neville… He's too…" Ron trailed off.

"Cowardly? Stupid? Awkward?" Draco offered. He saw them all start to deny it, but he shut them up before they even spoke, "You must be aware by now that we all act a little differently to who we actually are so that people get thrown off our tail? I mean… I'm only second in class – we all know Ravenclaw's heir should be first, and I could easily beat you when I'm asleep normally, Granger."

"You could not!" Hermione denied.

"Yeah, you tell yourself that, Granger." Draco scoffed.

"That still doesn't explain why you're in Slytherin." Ron accused.

"Could you imagine what Voldemort would do if he found out his loyal servant's son was an heir?" Draco said darkly, "I was put in Slytherin and taught to be a pure-blood mad asshole for my own protection. And now if you can all leave my room..?"

They all stared at him for a moment before complying with his wishes and leaving the room. Draco grumbled profanities at them before settling back into his book.


End file.
